ID's Evil Lives Here: Who is Karim Zakikhani?

Karim Zakikhani, a 34-year-old Houston resident, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in June 2018.

Zakikhani was given the sentence after he pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated assault against a family member causing serious bodily injury. He reportedly infected his ex-girlfriend Sarita Anderson and multiple other women with HIV even after learning about his positive status for years.

Evil Lives Here previously chronicled the case in an episode titled Sleeping With the Enemy, which premiered in July 2022. The episode re-aired on ID on Sunday, December 11.

The synopsis reads:

"When Sarita Anderson begins feeling ill, she thinks it's just the flu at first; she never suspects that the man pretending to love and nurse her back to health is actually the monster responsible."

According to records, Karim Zakikhani is currently serving his sentence at the O. B. Ellis Unit in Huntsville, Texas and will likely be eligible for parole in 2031.

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Karim Zakikhani intentionally infected multiple women with HIV after knowing his positive status for years

In 2013, Karim Zakikhani met Sarita Anderson while they were both working as security at a hospital and by September 2013, they formally began dating.

Anderson proposed getting tested for sexually transmitted disease(s) because of their intimate relationship when they first started participating in sexual intercourse. Sarita was previously never diagnosed with HIV or received any treatment for the same and she tested negative.

Zakikhani reportedly told her that he also tested negative for the infection and she never asked to see the paperwork and took his word for it. However, by April 2014, she began falling sick quite frequently, and even reportedly began losing her hair and nails, and even lost nearly 65 pounds.

While Anderson initially believed that she had the flu, physicians were concerned about her. Things only came to a head in September 2014 when a dentist found a fungus in her mouth, which prompted an HIV test, and to her shock, she tested positive.

A devastated Sarita, who had been with Karim the entire time, approached him, and that was when she found out that he was already married to someone else.

Sarita also filed a police report against Zakikhani, who was given a $30,000 bond after he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in June 2016. Zakikhani had previously tested positive for HIV and authorities claimed that he had intentionally infected Anderson.

After Anderson reported him to the Family Crime Violence Office, authorities were able to verify her claims.

Officer Waldie claimed:

"With the medical records, we were able to determine that the defendant was infected in March 2008."

Based on tips, they realized that were multiple victims Zakikhani had infected between 2008 and 2016. Officer Waldie said that the way Karim was acting was completely intentional as he was giving the victims a virus that could be fatal. The officer continued:

"It’s very serious. It could lead to other infections. It could lead to deaths. That’s very important for us to stop that before it gets worse."

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Where is Karim Zakikhani now?

Karim Zakikhani ultimately accepted a plea deal to avoid trial. He pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault on a family member causing significant bodily injury.

At the age of 34, in June 2018, Zakikhani received a 30-year prison term and is still detained in the O. B. Ellis Unit in Huntsville, Texas. Records state that he will be eligble for parole by 2031.